What Friends are For
by RainFlame
Summary: Kotetsu finally gets the courage to tell Barnaby he has to leave. Slight AU. One-shot.


Hello, hello! This was written while struggling with my muse on another fic. Hopefully it helped get myself in gear, nyeh? No I haven't seen the last episode, but this takes place after the last episode, though it may be slightly AU. And Barnaby may seem slightly OOC, but iI think that he'd be more fragile after seemingly loosing his purpose in life (no more revenge to get).

So, without further ado . . .

Enjoy!

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><p>His hand hovered above the door ready to knock, but the fear made him hesitate. Could he do this? This would be the final nail in the coffin, so to speak. Once he told Barnaby, there was no turning back.<p>

_Kaede. This is for Kaede._

It wasn't that he couldn't do it, right? It was for his little girl, so he could watch her grow up and help her develop her NEXT powers.

_You'll never be a Hero again._

The very thought hurt, like only noticing the pain after you've seen the blood. It just didn't hurt as much when he lied to himself. But it was either quit while he was ahead, or wait until his powers ran dry. Then it would just be humiliating.

_It's better this way._

With a heavy hand and a heavy heart, Kotetsu knocked on the door.

Barnaby opened the door and Kotetsu plastered on the biggest smile he could muster. "Hey, Bunny! Just dropped by to see if you could use some dinner!" He hoisted up the bag for the other man to see. "Some good home cooked-"

"It's fried rice, isn't it?"

Kotetsu squinted. "How did you know?"

"Because that's all you know how to cook." A small smile quirked the corners of Barnaby's lips.

He scowled. "That's not true."

"Microwave dinners don't count as cooking, either."

"Why do you always have to rain on my parade?"

The blond ignored the question. "Do you want to come in?"

He swallowed, feeling his nerves rise up. "Uh, sure. Just for a few minutes," he said, stepping past the younger man and into the barren apartment.

Kotetsu wouldn't say so to Barnaby, but he hated his apartment. Sure, it was big and spacious, and it probably cost more a month than Kotetsu paid in a year, but it lacked something. It was so . . . lifeless, empty. It felt like no one was living there at all, or at least no one with a personality.

Of course, that did apply to Barnaby at times . . .

"Do you want something to drink?"

"Uh, eh," Kotetsu stuttered with guilt. "Have any . . . hot chocolate?"

Barnaby arched an eyebrow. "Hot chocolate?"

"I've been craving it lately," he defended with an indignant huff.

Barnaby said nothing. He merely gave him a mildly amused look before disappearing into the kitchen.

Kotetsu sank into the only chair in the room, fixing his gaze out the large window. It was a cold night. Fall was well underway, and snow was already expected later in the week. He wondered if Kaede needed a new coat? She was growing so fast lately; maybe he could take her shopping. Girls liked that stuff, right? Maybe that would help make up for how long this was taking . . .

"Here," Barnaby appeared in front of him, extending the mug and sipping his own. From the smell, his was probably coffee. "So, why are you really here?"

"I can't just check up on a friend?" he asked, stalling. He may be courageous in the presence of physical danger, but when it came to things like this, Kotetsu was as cowardly as they came.

First of all, it was bad timing all around. Maverick's betrayal was still a fresh wound on the young man's heart. Kotetsu could see the dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and excessive brooding. Secondly, he had noticed him withdrawing over the past few days, probably for the same reasons. But if he didn't do it now, things would probably only get worse, and Kotetsu would only end up feeling guiltier for it if he dragged it out.

"Stop beating around the bush. Out with it." Barnaby wasn't angry. Yet. He was not a patient man, after all.

Kotetsu took a long drink, trying to organize his thoughts. What could he say? How could he say it? He had rehearsed it a thousand times, but had now forgotten the words he had so carefully arranged.

"Well, I've been doing some thinking lately, and . . . well, things have been happening, and I'm not sure . . . you see, my girl-" Barnaby sighed loudly, so he got straight to the point. "I'm retiring."

It was like watching a storm blow in. One moment, Barnaby's expression was pleasant and open, and the next, it was dark and closed off. "What?" The word was short and simple, but at the same time, it was such a complex demand.

Here came the hard part. The part Kotetsu didn't want to say aloud. Because if he said it, it would be true, final.

But he had to. He owed Barnaby that much.

He looked down at his hands, wrapped desperately around the mug like a lifeline. "I'm losing my powers."

The words hung in the air, suffocating with their meaning. Barnaby's anger melted off his face long enough for surprise to widen his eyes. "You what?"

He had to take a deep breath to keep his voice from breaking, then he continued, "I'm told the signs are flares of intense power, at the cost of a shorter time. I've been stronger and faster than ever, and am down to three minutes and forty-five seconds. It drops by the week." Kotetsu didn't want to meet his gaze. Instead he stared at the floor, shifting his shoulders in discomfort. "I'm losing them, Bunny. I can't stay."

Barnaby was silent for a long moment. He turned to stare out the window to the busy city below. His face was now impassive, which was the norm, but he could see the pain in his eyes. "So, that's it then?" His voice was laced with ice. "You're just going to leave?"

What part about 'losing his powers' was Bunny not understanding? "At the rate things are going, I won't have powers at all in a few months." The words tasted bitter. He was having a hard time accepting them himself. "You can't be a Hero without powers."

Barnaby's mouth hardened into a thin line. "What about our partnership? It's our selling point. Our sponsors won't-"

"Do you really think I improved our ratings?" Kotetsu chuckled humorlessly. "It's been all you, Bunny. It's been you since the beginning. No one wants to watch an old man destroy private property and make a fool of himself. They want to watch the new kid with new moves. I'm old news."

"Then what about us?" he suddenly shouted, rounding on Kotetsu and nearly startling him out of his chair. "What about all the friends you're leaving behind? Are you just going to throw us away? Just leave and never come back?"

"Of course not!" Kotetsu raised his hands. "I'll drop by-"

"That's not good enough! We need you! You're the one that holds us together!"

"That's not true-"

"It is true!" His hands were balled into quivering fists at his side, and Kotetsu saw the hurt in his eyes, plain as day. "We need you, Kotetsu!"

"Bunny,-"

"_I_ need you."

The words were a whisper, and Kotetsu almost missed them. When the words did register, he did a double take. Barnaby needed him? Was he joking?

But it didn't look like he was joking. The young man had fallen to his knees on the floor, wrapping his arms around himself. Tears leaked down the sides of his face. "I can't . . . if you're not there, I can't do it. You're all I have."

And Kotetsu finally understood the boy in front of him. All of this time living without parents, then the recent betrayal of Maverick, the death of Samantha; it had all left him shaken and lost, his fragile self-confidence shattered in the wake of his revenge. He had no one to turn to, no one to rely on, and no one to trust. Kotetsu finally recognized him for what he was; just a lost child forced to grow up too quickly and afraid to be alone again.

He had never really seen himself as a parental figure for Barnaby. Maybe more like an annoying uncle, since the man was generally irritated with him. But it seemed that Barnaby thought more of him than either of them had realized.

Kotetsu slowly got to his feet and approached the younger man, bending down to crouch beside him and wincing as his knees popped audibly with the motion. He really was getting old. "Bunny?" The blond didn't reply, but Kotetsu wasn't expecting him to. He placed a hand on his head. "Just because I'm not in town doesn't mean I'm walking out of your life. I'm not going to abandon you. I'll never abandon you." That was another promise he had no intention of breaking. Ever.

Barnaby looked up. When he did, Kotetsu didn't see a distant, courageous Hero with a grudge and a purpose. He saw a child. A broken, fragile child with tears streaming from under his glasses and fear in his eyes. "I can't do this alone," he whispered.

Kotetsu smiled. "You won't be alone. You've got your friends to help you. That's what we're here for."

Barnaby didn't move or speak for a while. Then, he murmured, "Promise me." His voice was quiet, but even.

He blinked. "Huh?"

"Promise you'll still be there. Promise you won't disappear."

Kotetsu's eyes softened with his smile. "It's a promise."

Barnaby didn't look up, but Kotetsu could have sworn he saw a ghost of a smile on the other man's lips. "Thank you."

The silence that followed was strangely comfortable. Kotetsu took the opportunity to rise and made a show of going to the kitchen and preparing a plate of fried rice. He knew Barnaby was probably embarrassed enough from losing his cool and he didn't want to traumatize the kid anymore by watching him compose himself. He didn't even look up until Barnaby entered the kitchen and leaned up against the doorframe. "You like your rice cold?"

Barnaby shrugged, apparently himself again. "That's fine. I thought you weren't staying long?"

"I just got here! Here I am being all nice and now you're going to throw me out!"

"So you've got nothing better to do with your time than to come annoy me?"

Kotetsu sulked. "Do you actually have a heart?"

The corners of Barnaby's mouth twitched. "Do you know what a video game is?"

He glared. "I'm not that old, Bunny. I own four consoles."

"I just got the new _Heroes_ game. Want to play?"

He felt his face brighten. "Can I be Sky High?"

Barnaby smirked. "I'll go set up the system."

Kotetsu watched him go, his smile softening. The kid was strong, despite all he had been through. Maybe they would both get through this. Maybe together, they could come out on the other side, and even if he didn't have his Next powers, they could be stronger for it. And if it wasn't enough, they could be each other's strength.

Because that's what friends are for, right?

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><p>Yay for warm fuzzy friend fics! I love them XD<p>

Please review, and have a great day!

God Bless,

-RainFlame


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